1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to an easily assembled and disassembled trunnion assembly with a reliable oil seal, and more particularly relates to a heavy duty, high thrust trunnion assembly having a one-piece tubular shaft for receiving one end of a torsion bar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A trunnion assembly with a tubular shaft and torsion bar therein is illustrated in the drawings as "PRIOR ART", and has been used by applicant's assignee in the past for resiliently supporting road wheels that ride along the lower runs of the tracks of military and commercial tract vehicles such as log skidders or the like. The thrust forces acting on each trunnion assembly are quite severe especially when the tracks are subjected to high side loads such as occur when turning a skidder which is pulling a heavy load of logs. When turning a loaded skidder, the thrust forces cause substantial frictional wear between the thrust resisting surfaces especially when the surfaces are not properly lubricated and/or when the associated road wheel rotates through its maximum arc as would occur when the supported track moves over a large rock or log. In fact, in assignee's prior art trunnion assembly which includes a thrust flange on a shaft extension that is bolted to the inner end of a tubular trunnion shaft by 12 5/16" diameter capscrews, the thrust has been so great that on several occasions all 12 capscrews were sheared shortly after a slight amount of play occurred between the shaft extension and the adjacent end of the shaft.
Another more frequent problem with the prior art device is that wear of the bushings journaling the shaft within the housing permit the axis of the shaft to deflect relative to the axis of the housing thus localizing the thrust forces on one or several capscrews causing the capscrews to yield, shear, or loosen. Yielding, shearing or loosening of one or more of the capscrews causes lubricating oil to leak from the prior art device resulting in rapid frictional wear and failure of the trunnion assembly due to lack of lubricant.